Turkey confirms firing at Kurdish forces in northern Syria

ANKARA: Turkey’s prime minister has confirmed that the Turkish military has attacked the main Kurdish force in northern Syria.

The force, known as the PYD, has said Turkey shot at its forces in the town of Tal Abyad twice Sunday, mostly with machine guns, after the town was included into a Kurdish enclave.

Ahmet Davutoglu told ATV television late Monday: “We said the PYD will not go west of the Euphrates and that we would hit it the moment it did. We hit it twice.” He did not give further details.

The PYD has been a key ally for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey and the U.S. differ on whether the force — which is affiliated with Turkey’s Kurdish rebels — is a terrorist organization.